The Battenkill’s Two Ecosystems

by Brew Moscarello

The Battenkill River doesn't exist in isolation. Like all wild places that humans have come to cherish, it sits at the intersection of two ecosystems: the natural one—with its mayfly hatches, spawning cycles, and seasonal flows—and the human one—with its guides, lodges, and the economic relationships that sustain both the river and the communities along its banks.

After forty years of fishing and guiding on this water, I've learned that you can't truly know one ecosystem without understanding the other. And more importantly, you can't sustain one without respecting both.

The Natural Ecosystem

The Battenkill is a cold-water tailwater that has earned its reputation as one of the East's premier trout streams through millions of years of geology and centuries of careful stewardship. Wild brown trout, brook trout, and rainbows thrive here not because the river is merely "good habitat," but because it's a complete, functioning ecosystem.

But here's what four decades on this water teaches you: every fish you catch is part of a larger story. That brown trout rising to a caddis didn't just appear there. It survived winters. It navigated high water and low. It found food, avoided predators, and claimed a lie where current and structure provide both protection and opportunity. To guide on the Battenkill responsibly means understanding that you're a guest in this trout's home, not the other way around.

The Human Ecosystem

The Manchester and Arlington communities have been intertwined with the Battenkill for generations. Local fly shops, inns, restaurants, and yes, guide services all depend on the river's health and reputation. This creates a human ecosystem that, at its best, mirrors the natural one: balanced, sustainable, and mutually beneficial.

But not all participants in this ecosystem operate with the same philosophy.

Some guide services treat the river as a resource to be extracted rather than a relationship to be nurtured. They lack the years of observation that teach you which pools fish best in high water, where the big browns lie during summer heat, or how to read the river's mood on any given day.

The Forty-Year Difference

I've watched this river through forty seasons. I've seen droughts and floods. I've witnessed the return of wild brook trout to tributaries where they'd been absent for decades. I've learned which sections can handle pressure and which need rest.

This long view changes how you approach guiding. You're not just thinking about today's trip or this season's bookings. You're thinking about the river your grandchildren will fish. You're thinking about the local restaurant owner who depends on anglers stopping for lunch, the fly shop that's family-owned, the inn where your clients stay that employs your neighbors.

Catch and Release Isn't Enough

Every guide service claims to practice catch and release. But there's catch and release done right, and catch and release that's just marketing.

True conservation means:

• Timing: Knowing when to avoid stressed fish during temperature extremes

• Handling: Teaching clients proper techniques that maximize survival rates

• Pressure: Rotating locations to prevent overexposure of productive areas

• Ethics: Sometimes telling a client "not today" when conditions aren't right for the fish

It also means being honest about what the river can and can't provide. The Battenkill isn't a put-and-take fishery where stocked trout exist solely for harvest. These are wild fish in a wild ecosystem. Some days they cooperate. Some days they don't. A guide who's been on this water for forty years can give you the best odds, but they'll also tell you the truth rather than guarantee fish.

Community Over Competition

The human ecosystem around the Battenkill works best when relationships are built on mutual respect and long-term thinking. I've worked with Tom Miller, an expert fly tier who's been perfecting his craft for decades. Tommy Dziz, who runs The Fly Haus in Manchester, understands these waters intimately. Tyler Atkins brings social and digital media expertise that helps us share the river's story authentically.

We're not trying to dominate the market. We're trying to serve it well. That means partnering with local inns and restaurants, supporting conservation organizations, teaching fly-tying classes that pass knowledge to the next generation, and hosting community events that celebrate the culture around this river.

When a competitor opens shop by stealing client lists and undercutting established relationships—when they prioritize market share over community partnership—they're not participating in the ecosystem, they're parasitizing it. There's a difference between healthy competition that raises all boats and extractive business practices that damage the relationships that sustain this place.

What This Means for Your Day on the Water

When you book with Trico Unlimited, you're not just hiring a guide. You're tapping into forty years of accumulated knowledge about this specific river. You're supporting a business model that gives back to both the natural ecosystem and the human community around it. You're fishing with someone who will still be here, protecting and promoting this river, long after the next trend-chasing guide service moves on to easier markets.

You're also getting instruction—not just guiding. The Trico philosophy is that adventure and instruction enhance each other. I want you to catch fish today, absolutely. But I also want you to understand why we're fishing this particular pool, how to read the water yourself, what the trout are feeding on and why. I want you to leave not just with photos of fish, but with skills you can use anywhere.

That's the difference between a guide who's been somewhere for forty years and one who showed up last season. Time creates knowledge. Commitment creates credibility. And respect for both ecosystems—natural and human—creates experiences that are memorable for the right reasons.

The River's Long Memory

Rivers remember. They remember clean water and polluted water. They remember respectful anglers and careless ones. They remember the guides who protected them and the guides who exploited them.

The human communities around rivers remember too. They remember who was there during the hard years and who only showed up when things were profitable. They remember who told the truth and who made empty promises. They remember who built relationships and who burned them.

After forty years, the Battenkill and I have that kind of relationship. A conversation that's been going on for most of my life. When you fish with me, you're part of that conversation—not an interruption of it.

The river will be here long after any of us are gone. The question is: what will we leave behind? Will we leave a healthier ecosystem or a degraded one? Will we leave stronger communities or fractured ones? Will we leave knowledge and tradition passed down, or will we leave nothing but old marketing campaigns that meant nothing?

At Trico Unlimited, we already know our answer. We've been answering it every day for forty years.

Come fish with someone who knows not just where the trout are, but why they're there—and what it takes to keep them there for the next forty years.